Terrorists, gov’t forces committed abuses during Marawi conflict, Amnesty International report says

By Rosemarie A. Zamora

BOTH terrorists and Philippine government forces have been found to commit commit human rights abuses during the five-month long crisis in Marawi City.

Amnesty International came out with this assessment on Friday, November 17, citing its report based on research and interviews of 48 survivors and witnesses, including 36 men, 11 women and a child.

Civilians were “displaced and slaughtered by militants and both sides have committed abuses,” said Tirana Hassan, Crisis Response Director at Amnesty International.

“During the conflict, militants regularly targeted civilians and carried out numerous extrajudicial executions. The civilian victims were nearly all Christians, and most—if not all—were targeted because they were not Muslim,” said the report which narrated several atrocities that began when the Maute terrorists took over the city in late May.

“Militants usually performed the killings with a pistol, a rifle, or by cutting the victim’s throat. Journalists have reported cases where civilians were beheaded. Most victims were shot and killed immediately after being questioned by the militants,” the report said.

Others were killed while standing or kneeling on the ground, and some were shot while running away.

Those who were taken hostage narrated how they were forced into labor and used as human shields.

“The government and journalists have reported that hostages were also forced to make improvised bombs, fight, and loot, and were used as sex slaves. Hostages were also killed by government air strikes, according to witness accounts,” it added.

‘Those who escaped through peace corridors were tortured’

Government forces were also accused of torture and other ill-treatment.

“Members of the armed forces detained numerous people and accused them, without evidence, of being militants. Detainees were allegedly then subjected to various forms of ill-treatment including sustained beatings and threats of execution,” the report said.

In the first months of the conflict, thousands of civilians were unable to evacuate through the peace corridors and remained trapped in Marawi for weeks. They were afraid to move for fear of being killed or captured if they were identified by militants.

Some of those who managed to escape “were subsequently apprehended and abused by government forces, who were reportedly suspicious of why the civilians had remained inside Marawi for so long,” the report said.

One report said that the Philippine Armed Forces detained an escaped civilian and was “beaten severely all over his body” then the civilian later passed out and was handed to the Red Cross later on.

Meanwhile, the report also said that an unknown number of civilians who were trapped were alleged to “have been killed by the government’s shelling and aerial bombardment.”

‘L�����ձ�����’
On Oct. 31, six soldiers were being arrested for alleged looting in Marawi City.

Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana said that government will apply “the full force of the law” against six soldiers once they are found guilty of looting. He also vowed to compensate the victims.

According to the report, the allegations of looting of military forces “are potentially violations of the rules prohibiting pillage in non-international armed conflict, under customary international law, international criminal law, and Philippine military regulations.”

Also on Friday, AFP Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Restituto F. Padilla said that the Amnesty International had informed them of their study. He further said that they requested the team to relay the report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, and as of now, they do not have a copy of the report yet.

But he then reiterated that the AFP remains respectful of the international humanitarian law and human rights.